Former east Arkansas police officer to go on trial

Former Helena-West Helena Police Sgt. Marlene Kalb has pleaded not guilty to money laundering and drug-related charges. Her trial is set to begin Monday in federal court in Little Rock.

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By JEANNIE NUSS, Associated Press

Stuttgart Daily Leader - Stuttgart, AR

By JEANNIE NUSS, Associated Press

Posted Dec. 10, 2012 at 9:06 AM
Updated Dec 10, 2012 at 9:08 AM

By JEANNIE NUSS, Associated Press

Posted Dec. 10, 2012 at 9:06 AM
Updated Dec 10, 2012 at 9:08 AM

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.

A former police officer charged in a sweeping drug and corruption investigation in eastern Arkansas is slated to go on trial this week.

Former Helena-West Helena Police Sgt. Marlene Kalb has pleaded not guilty to money laundering and drug-related charges. Her trial is set to begin Monday in federal court in Little Rock.

Kalb, 49, is one of several former law enforcement officers indicted in an investigation called "Operation Delta Blues," which focused on corruption and drug trafficking in the Mississippi Delta town. Dozens of other people were also indicted in the investigation.

Four other former law enforcement officers have pleaded guilty to various charges in the case.

Roxanne Davis, a former probation and parole officer accused of collecting money from drug traffickers under her supervision, has pleaded not guilty to extortion charges. She is scheduled to go on trial in May.

Kalb has maintained her innocence since she was indicted in the case last year. She could face up to 120 years in prison if she is convicted of all charges, prosecutors said.

Kalb's lawyer, John Wesley Hall Jr., declined to comment about the charges she faces.

"That's what the trial is for," Hall said. "I'm not going to talk about it otherwise."

A grand jury accused Kalb of taking hundreds of dollars from someone posing as a drug trafficker last year and misusing her authority as a police officer to escort that person and a controlled substance from the Arkansas-Mississippi border through Helena-West Helena.

The grand jury also charged Kalb and another former police officer, Robert "Bam Bam" Rogers, of attempting to possess a mixture containing cocaine with the intent to distribute it.

Rogers pleaded guilty to an extortion charge in January. He was sentenced in August to serve 14 months in prison.

Former Marvell police officer Robert Wahls was sentenced to two years in prison after he pleaded guilty to extortion and money laundering this year. Another former law enforcement officer, Hermon Eaton, pleaded guilty to similar charges and was sentenced to 16 months in prison.

Former Phillips County Sheriff's Deputy Winston Dean Jackson was sentenced to more than six years in prison after pleading guilty to a drug conspiracy charge.